1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an auto repositioning neuromuscular oral device to be positioned in the human mouth for correcting various problems associated with occlusal pressure differences between the upper and lower jaw.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Patients who have differences in occlusal pressures between the upper and lower dental arches and between the left and right side of the mouth often suffer from painful masticatory muscle related disorders. Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ), as well as limited mandibular functioning, clicking or other noises in the jaw, and pain in the mouth, face, head, ears and neck are all common disorders that may be caused by a malocclusal condition.
Inter-occlusal disharmony can also be an etiologic factor associated with other seemingly unrelated neuromuscular disorders and can mimic such things as carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow (fibrocitus), tendinitis of the elbow and shoulder, upper back pain, and other secondary symptoms of the head, face, neck, shoulders, and extremities such as the arms and hands. As the muscles of mastication become stressed through fatigue caused by differences in the inter-occlusal space between the left and right sides of the mouth, adjacent supporting muscles may brace or splint at their point of origin. This dysfunction may spread to the point of insertion of the muscles which, in turn, can trigger dysfunctional bracing or splinting of yet another adjacent muscle or muscle group (or fibers within the muscles) at the insertion point of the muscle group, causing a chain reaction. Because these disorders often exhibit no abnormality in the affected tissues and have no apparent proximity to the teeth, they have traditionally been viewed as being more medical than oral in nature. As a result, treatment has been directed at the symptoms and not the source, often with little success. On the other hand, patients having such secondary disorders who were treated for malocclusion, often obtained relief from these disorders.
In the treatment of temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ) and other conditions caused by occlusion-muscle disharmony, the first phase of treatment is designed to obtain comfort and to restore proper functioning of the temporomandibular joint. At present, various types of acrylic splints may be used to obtain relief. A splint is a piece of hard acrylic that fits over either the top or the bottom teeth, covering occlusal surfaces of the teeth. It has the effect of taking pressure off the jaw joints, causing the jaws to be better aligned when biting down or otherwise closing the teeth. The purpose of these splints is to change the way the mandibular (bottom) and maxillary (top) teeth come together during normal activities such as swallowing, chewing and biting.
While splints are effective in correcting inter-occlusal problems, they do have limitations. Because splints are rigid, they must be periodically adjusted to accommodate the changes in the muscle tone and muscle length that always occur in the treatment of TMJ and other related disorders. Also, the hard acrylic material is inflexible in the mouth and may cause discomfort to the patient.
In addition to splints, another technique employed to treat these disorders is a device having a fluid filled cushion such as has been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,488,848 and 4,211,008. Both these patents describe a repositioning fluid filled cushion. These patents are made of record hereto by the Information Disclosure Statement which accompanies this application.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,848 entitled "Intra-Oral Corrective Device" issued on Jan. 13, 1970 to M. D. Lerman. The device described therein has a fluid filled bite portion which provides for repositioning during the treatment of TMJ or other related disorders. However, the device floats unsecured in the mouth, therefore not providing the optimal amount of comfort and adjustment to the patient. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,848 does not provide for customization of the device to fit the size of the inter-occlusal opening of a particular patient's mouth, and, therefore, does not provide the most efficient and comfortable correction of the problem.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,008 entitled "Oral Device" issued on Jul. 8, 1980 to Lerman and discloses a fluid filled device which is positioned over the occlusal surfaces of the top teeth and has a labial portion which fits between the top lip and the front teeth. Such a device provides for repositioning of the inter-occlusal space, but floats freely in the mouth thereby causing less than the optimal amount of repositioning efficiency, stability, and comfort. Finally, the fluid-filled cushions described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,488,848 and 4,211,008 have been known to break or burst while in use.
Therefore, it would be desirable in the art to employ a composite neuromuscular oral device which is anchored while in the mouth so as to provide optimal repositioning integrity, stability, and comfort to the patient. It would further be desirable for the anchoring mechanism of such a device to utilize a structure well known and readily available in the art. It would additionally be desirable in the art for auto repositioning of the inter-occlusal space to be accommodated with various types of cushions.